On the first free day outside the office I just could no longer bear screwing around with aimless meanderings, however insightful these derives have been. No, I had to stab straight at the heart and soul of this country, and the obvious first step seemed to be that most iconic of Mexican landmarks: Teotihuacan! Begun by the myseterious Toltecs (possibly) between the time of Alexander and Chirst, it was, at it's zenith, home to 150,000 (and possibly more) souls. The city was built around a sophisticated system of infrastructure which serviced both the urban elite and agriculture (which was paramout in this highly contrasted wet and dry, life and death climate). Equally mysterious as it's builders, the city was abandoned around 700-800 AD, although the Aztecs later occupied and upgraded the still sacred site. What's left today is organized around the Avenue of the Dead, a 3 KM axis which likes to step up and down into vast courts, one after the other. Obviously, this was not route for anyone in a hurry. One end is dominated by the massive Pyramid of the Moon, while the center is flanked by the even more massive Pyramid of the Sun (el Sol being of utmost importance to an maize based society). Each seems to be an emulation of the mountains in whose shawdows they dwell.
There are nearly innumerable small pyramids lining the Avenue, all built in a nearly identical talud-tablero style. This is an architecture unconcerned with grace: it is absolute power which these stones mean to impress. What's left of this city is made up of merely a few pieces, less than a dozen in total, repeated again and again in a simple and clear demonstration of power. True, these were plastered over and painted with elaborate scenes in vibrant colors, in which their form was secondary to the message at hand, but still the uniformity is striking nonetheless. I cannot imagine why a city would need so many temples (or churches for that matter, especially in a culture with few or only one denomination).
The two pyramids are an exception to the ubiquity of their smaller counterparts. First, take the pyramid of the Sun. It's the second biggest in the Western Hemisphere and 3rd largest in the whole entire world. Its base is roughly as big as its older cousin in Giza, although its profile makes it only about half as tall.
The punctuated ascent breaks the initial immensity of the climb down to a manageable few strains. I'm really glad this is in Mexico, because you could never get away with this in litigation saturated States. One slip o these super-sized steps and you could surely find yourself and few other tourists in el hospital. 
And there would certainly have been a splendid view of the whole city on this perch half way to the sun.
Punctuating the axis about a kilometer further north is the lesser but nicer Pyramid of the Moon. Unfortunately, visitors are prohibited from climbing to the apex of this one, but the platform at the midriff offers a privileged, if less panoramic, and certainly more comfortable, vista.
Another curiosity of the pyramids: someone can plan an event so important that the tracks needed to hold the lights or fireworks or whatever take precedent over the preservation of a UNESCO world heritage site. What's more, everything that remains in Teotihuacan is made of lava stone, which is quite porus and brittle, which makes drilling holes into it that much easier! 
Of course, there are other notable and exciting exceptions to the monotony of the talud-tablero...
It was quite chilly up there atop the Pyramid of the Sun, and down on the Avenue of the Dead too. Fue muy viento! (windy, that's right!). In the last few days I have learned that coming to the Basin of Mexico in November without a lot of long sleeves and heavy fabrics is an uncomfortable mistake. Likewise, no matter how many goosebumps pay me a visit, I also now realize this is the closest to the equator I have ever been (by a longshot) and the great Sun still shines its bright benevolent rays on the pyramid built in it's honor. Hasta luego mis amigos.
1 comment:
RAD!
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